to read Bike Europe 2016 London Show Review

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March 2016 BIKE europe
SHOW REVIEW LONDON BIKE SHOW
Major trans-Atlantic presence mixes with plenty of UK product launches plus a busy electric test track
UK and US Companies Dominate London Bike
Show
LONDON, UK - Many of the headline bike brands at the London
Bike Show 2016 were the same as
at Birmingham’s Cycle Show 2015,
London’s rival claimant as the UK’s
biggest bike show. Though there
were notable differences too.
Whilst some European bike brands
seem to have chosen Birmingham
over London, the capital had a very
strong US and UK presence.
2015 market report suggesting the UK road bike
bubble may be nearing its peak, there were
plenty of variations on the theme from the big
guns. Specialized gave a first show outing to the
latest incarnation of its wind tunnel inspired
aero model the Venge, as well as its custom
build S-works program. Other previously exotic road bike technology such as wireless electronic shifting, carbon frames and thru-axles
also appeared to be trickling down to more affordable models across a wide range of brands.
Many of the big name brands also had sizeable
display areas for mountain bikes too, at least rivalling or exceeding the space they occupied
last year.
Richard peace
T
he UK’s main two ‘Olympian’ brands went
head to head, Hoy Bikes took on Boardman
bikes. Other major London attendees who
were not present at Birmingham had a distinct US flavour, including Cannondale, Scott,
Specialized and Trek.
Hoy Bikes (retailer Evans’ star endorsed range)
gave the first show airing to a disc-equipped
road bike, the Alto Irpavi and its new range of
children’s bikes. Boardman showed off its first
ventures into titanium. Despite Bike Europe’s
Electric launches
There were three stand out product launches at
the electric test track. Bravest of all, UK bike accessory distributors RSI were helping test riders try out the chainless Mando Footloose. “This
is primarily a commuter bike and with developments such as the London Superhighway we felt
the time was right to bring it to the UK,” said Simon Hewins, RSI MD. Cambridge based ARCC
were showing off their new e2-pod electric assist system for Bromptons that should prove
massively popular in the quick folder’s home
Garnering lots of attention was Dassi, making bespoke road and TT bikes in the UK from its own carbon moulds
and using ‘aerospace grade carbon composites’.
Photos: Richard Peace
country. UK’s Momentum Electric, a young and
expanding company, were showcasing their
new lighter and more powerful city and commuting bike models.
Utility bikes on the up?
The UK market has traditionally been one of the
last places you would see cargo and family style
bikes, but they were an eye-catching and crowddrawing attraction at London’s Excel. Cyclecentric own the utility bike brand Circe (and folding
bike brand Airnimal) and were returning exhibitors. Cyclecentric co-owner and co-designer,
Richard Loke, commented on the growing
strength of one of their niche markets: “The show
was very busy and significantly larger than last
time we were there a couple of years ago. There
was a lot of interest in our tandem and utility
products for transporting cargo and children,
maybe reflecting the growth in utility cycling. We
also had a lot of interest in our tandems for adult
couples, again probably reflecting the growth of
interest in couples cycling together.”
With Circe, one bike is often convertible to
many uses. At Excel they were showcasing a
new Helios Triplet that allows two children to
pedal with an adult, an electric assist tandem,
the Helios STEPS and a 24-inch wheeled tandem capable of taking fat tyres.
Babboe family cargo and kiddie transporter
bikes from the Netherlands were making their
London debut and echoed Circe’s comments.
“Recently we have seen a significant increase in
sales of cargo bikes in the UK, especially E-cargo bikes. We can also see that cycling in general is getting more and more popular in the UK
and city councils are convinced that bicycles
can make a significant contribution to keeping
cities accessible and liveable,” said Babboe’s
Erik Jazet. Niche cargo and family bike manufacturer Boxer Cycles presented their unique,
fun designs that children love. They hope to
bring them to Eurobike 2016.
Innovation and tech
There was also a noticeable number of stands
presenting high-tech or new-tech. Garnering
lots of attention was Dassi, making bespoke
road and TT bikes in the UK from its own carbon moulds and using ‘aerospace grade carbon
composites’. A returning feature was the Innovation Lab stand, featuring Blaze safety lighting
that projects a bike image onto the road ahead
and Litelok – a high security yet light lock.
Cambridge based ARCC were showing off their new e²-pod electric assist system for Bromptons.
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